How Much Does Carpet Stretching Cost?

Carpet stretching is a repair process that may be necessary sometime in the life of your carpet. Loose and wrinkled carpet is not only unattractive, but also presents a potential health hazard as those raised bumps may cause you or a loved one to trip in your home. When this happens, it is time to look into having your carpet stretched. The bumps and bubbles indicate that your carpet is loose and is not wearing properly, which may cause complications wherever the carpet is installed. Carpet stretching will improve the look of the carpet, extend the life of the carpet, and prevent tripping hazards. However, this will come at a price.

How much does it cost?

On average, the costs of carpet stretching will vary between $25-$100 per room. For the whole house, it should cost around $200.

To get an exact quote for your particular job, consider getting multiple quotes for free from free services such as HomeAdvisor.com.

TheCarpets.net claim that you should be prepared to budget about $50 to $100 for the average room.

A professional contractor on DoItYourself.com claimed that he would charge about $175 for a 600 square foot room.

What is going to be included?

When the carpet is first installed, is it stretched to prevent any bubbles or lumps by being laid down, smoothed out and tacked or stapled down, and the ends tucked under the floorboards. With any carpet, however, the stretching does not end there; expect to have your carpet re-stretched a few times during its lifetime.

Carpet stretching is not necessarily “stretching” the carpet, but instead, lifting the carpet and smoothing out those hazardous bumps and cutting off the remaining carpet. Technically, you have done the stretching yourself throughout the time of walking and wear and tear on the carpet.

What are the extra costs?

With carpet stretching, there are a wide variety of costs. It all depends on your comfort level and level of experience. Call around and get quotes from professionals and compare it to the costs to do it yourself. But keep in mind of the tools you will need. You will need a kicker, a power stretcher, a wall trimmer, a knife, and if you have carpeted stairs, you will need a stair tool to tuck the carpet under the shoe mold.

If the tacks have to be replaced because of water damage or wear and tear, this can cost more.

If there are any repairs that need to be done, it would be most convenient to do them at the time of stretching. If a small area needs to be replaced, this will cost more than the stretching service itself.

Tips to know

If this is your first time looking into carpet stretching, it is strongly advised to hire someone to do this task for you since any error that may occur may permanently ruin your carpet. But if you are handy with tools or you have experience, doing it yourself is possible. But know that you will have your work cut out for you should you choose to do it on your own.

Peel the carpet away from the tack strip, starting in the corner and pulling toward the middle of the room.

Pull out any staples or tacks from the carpet and the padding.

Remove the old tack strip to make way for a new one.

Reset the carpet padding first, using the tools mentioned above. Cut off the excess carpet padding from the edges.

Lay the carpet back down using the power stretcher. If there is too much pressure needed to pay it back down, you may be stretching it too far.

Embed the stretched edge of the carpet into the new tack strip, and then cut off the excess carpet. Do this right up against the wall, and the cutting tool will naturally push the carpet below the trim.

If you choose to hire professionals, treat them well and properly prepare your space for your visit by vacuuming and clearing the clutter. Carpet stretching is not an installers favorite thing to do since complications can arise around doorways or if they end up having to move furniture.

How can I save money?

If you decide to hire a professional to do the carpet stretching, there may be an added cost to move your furniture. So if you are able to move your own furniture before and after the job is done, you will save some money.

Making sure your carpets are properly stretched will ensure a longer lifespan for you carpet and thus, saving some money from having to purchase new carpet to replace the old one.

Also be aware that cheaper may not mean a better job. If your carpet is not properly stretched, it will shorten its lifespan, which will counter your money-saving efforts in the long run.